The Young Mothers Club
by AuntiePanda
Summary: Bella, Rosalie and Alice are all young mothers, but they all have very different stories to tell...
1. One

Hi all, I wrote this a while ago after an idea came to me. I'm still working out the kinks but I thought I'd see if there was any interest before I spent lots of time on it. I will assure you all that I have not forgotten The OD Patient, just trying to get the creative juices following again. I am still working on the rest of that story, it is not forgotten :) Anyway, hope you like it.

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One.

The engine ticked over quietly as she waited outside the building. She really wasn't entirely sure what she was doing bringing herself to one of these dippy support groups, it wouldn't be much help to her now. But then, the rational side of her mind wondered, _Can I help others?_ Most of the girls in this group were likely to have been the standard, the ones who fall pregnant during high school, but she wasn't like that it. Nothing about her situation had constituted the norm for teenage pregnancy. Of course, she was no longer a teenager, at 21 she was likely to be older than most of the girls in the group.

"Mummy?" a little voice called from the backseat.

Bella turned in her seat to meet the eyes of her curious six year old daughter.

"Yeah?" she replied, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she paused seeming to think over an answer, "why are we just sat here? Are we waiting for something?"

 _Waiting for me to be brave enough to face a group of strangers who will look down on me the moment they see us together, why yes, yes we are waiting._

"No sweetie, we're not waiting for anything."

Now strictly speaking, that wasn't true. Bella was always waiting. She had spent the last six years waiting for _him._ She had searched to the best of her ability for him. Her father had searched too, being a detective should have made the job an easy task but yet the years had gone by, their child had grown and their time together was slowly becoming just a memory.

"Why are we sitting here then?" her daughter questioned again, "I'm bored, and a little hungry."

Bella tried not to laugh, her daughter was always 'a little hungry', it was like she was her father without even knowing him. He used to always be hungry but, then he'd been a teenage boy and, she supposed, that was normal. She had no idea how he would act now.

"We're sitting here because mummy's a coward," she explained honestly, not really knowing whether her daughter would make any sense of her words.

"You're not a cow, mummy," her daughter replied assuredly

Bella couldn't help but laugh at the misinterpretation of words.

"No I'm not, am I?" she replied, the smile still lingering on her face.

She summoned her courage and said, "Come on then, let's not be cows."

She killed the engine and got out the car, moving to assist her daughter after. Her daughter clasped her hand around her mother's fingers and held on tight to her as they made their way to the community hall up the street. As they approached, she saw the sign outside 'Support group for young mothers, 11am Every Saturday." It was 10:55 by her watch, at least her dawdling hadn't made them late. She was grateful for that at least.

"Sss-uh-per-per-or-t... Supppport?" her daughter spelt, overemphasising the 'p's', reading from the sign.

"Support," Bella corrected gently, "you're getting really good at this!"

Her daughter continued to decipher the words until Bella ushered her inside the building a few minutes later. On entry, an older woman met them at the reception and took them down. The judgemental looks started with hers. Bella knew that she didn't look 21, more like 18 and she understood why her and her daughter were greeted with these stares, it appeared to strangers that a teenager had child in kindergarten. She had been young, only fifteen, when her daughter was born but she hadn't been _that_ young.

The looks continued as she entered the space. However, not all the other girls looked at her this way. A young blonde with a baby sleeping against her chest met her gaze after a few minutes and actually smiled at her. Bella didn't quite know how to process the gesture since it was that unfamiliar to her. She hurriedly got herself and her daughter a seat together just as the meeting started.

"Good morning, ladies," another older lady addressed them all then, "Nice to see such a great turn out this morning and some new faces to, that's always nice to see." She addressed this part to Bella, looking at her as she did so.

"Today's meeting is the first session of the year, so just have a good mingle and get to know each other," she explained with a reassuring smile.

Despite the offered reassurance Bella panicked at the idea of 'mingling'; she wasn't good with people. Correction, she wasn't good with females, she loved her daughter but she genuinely had no idea how to socialize with woman. She blamed her own mom for this. She blamed her mom for most things really. She was internally cursing her mother when a voice spoke close by her.

"Hi."

Bella looked up and was met with the sight of the blonde girl again. She looked as shy as Bella felt but she was definitely braver.

"Hey."

An awkward silence hung for a moment between them until a little voiced pipped up from the chair beside her.

"You have pretty hair," her daughter said then, gazing at the blonde in wonder.

"You look like Cinderella," she continued, "My mummy's Belle, so you can be Cinderella if you like."

The blonde smiled, directing her words to the young girl, "Thank you, I think I would like that very much."

"My names Rose by the way," the blonde explained, taking a seat beside Bella, "this is Henry." Indicating the still dozing baby she held against her.

Now Bella was obligated to say something, she cursed internally again before replying.

"I'm Bella, and this is my daughter Elizabeth."

"Mummy," her daughter whined, "my name is Beth!"

Bella smirked, they were more alike than she realised, "I know, sorry!"

Bella was her shortened name from Isabella and taking the second half of their name seemed to be a trend for the Swan girls.

"So what brings you here?" Rose asked, to which Bella frowned awkwardly.

She thought it was pretty obvious but, decided not to say anything offensive or sarcastic in reply. Almost.

She raised her eyebrows just slightly and pointed to Beth who sat beside her. The little girl was starting to fidget, until she noticed the toys bordering the room, she looked up at her mother for permission and Bella nodded once. Within seconds, her conversation buffer was gone.

"Sorry dumb question," Rose stated, just as her baby began to fuss.

She reached down and attempted to pick up her bag. Bella felt a twinge of pity for the girl as she watched her struggle for a moment. It was when the baby began to cry that the mother in Bella overcame her awkwardness. She grabbed the bag from the floor and held it open in front of Rose. The gratitude shone from her eyes as she dug her hand into the bag and drew a bottle from it.

It was only when her baby was happily sucking down the formula that Rose spoke.

"Thanks," her voice was timid and unsure, "I'm not very good at this."

Bella saw it then. In those words, she understood why she had come here.

"Nobodys good at this to start with," she explained, "trust me, I had absolutely no idea what to do when Beth was tiny, and he doesn't look that old, what twelve weeks?"

Rose smiled slightly, "he's just turned eleven weeks."

"See," Bella replied, "You haven't been a mother that long, don't beat yourself up about it. I still struggle now, anyone who says motherhood is easy is a liar."

Rose chuckled, and silence fell for a moment. She looked ready to speak up again just as Bella's phone bleeped. She uttered an apology as she dug it out of her bag. She sighed as she read the text message from her father.

 _Don't forget to talk to them, you don't make friends if you silently scowl at people._

She tried not to laugh out loud but failed to contain it all, resulting in a strange sound that made it sound like she was choking. Despite the fact that he had only known her for six years, her father knew her better than her mother ever had. She opened the camera, summoned her best scowling expression and sent the resulting photo to her father with the tag line _"But I like to scowl."_

Rose spoke as she threw the phone back into her bag.

"Was that him?" she asked.

Bella frowned, she wasn't entirely sure what the girl was chatting about.

"Huh?"

"You know, was that her dad?" she explained.

Bella tried not to look hurt at the question, she had spent ages this morning psyching herself up for these kinds of intrusive questions.

"No," Bella explained, "haven't heard from him in a very long time."

"Oh," Rose replied, trying not to meet Bella's gaze, "I'm sorry."

"Nah, nothing to be sorry about."

"I shouldn't have brought it up," Rose continued, looking apologetic and awkward, "especially since its sore subject for me too."

Bella just nodded, she really didn't want to get into this. The silence was awkward for a moment again until Beth interrupted the silence. She came running up, looking excited about something. The moment she reached her mother she stated loudly, "that girl should be Snow White!"

"Beth, what are you talking about?" Bella asked, to which Beth pointed across the room to a girl sat across from them. She had a buggy beside her chair and was whispering down towards it, almost like she was singing. Bella understood her daughter's comparison from this one glance. The girl was pale, with short black hair and she dressed kind of punky and with it wore red lipstick.

"Sweetie," Bella said gently, as punk girl looked up towards her daughter's accusation of being Snow White, "you can't force Disney personas on people, it's not polite."

"Okay," her daughter conceded, before swiftly launching herself across the room, crying, "I'll ask her first!" as she went.

"Oh fuck!" Bella cursed quietly, and Rose chuckled lightly as Bella launched herself across the space after her offspring. Unfortunately, six year olds are usually faster than their parents.

"Will you be my Snow White please?" Beth asked the punk politely just as Bella reached her.

"Huh?" the confused girl replied.

"Beth, come on, leave her alone," Bella said to her daughter, addressing reluctantly the other girl after, "I'm really sorry she disturbed you."

The punk girl smiled then, "its okay no worries really, she's not disturbing me. She just caught me off guard."

Beth smiled brilliantly as punk girl spoke, "what did you say? Something about Snow White?"

"Mummy is Belle, the lady with the pretty hair is Cinderella and mummy said I had to ask, but I think you should be Snow White. Do you want to be Snow White?"

The punk girl seemed a little confused for a moment longer before she too smiled and Beth had acquired another Disney princess to be her mother's friend.

"I'm Alice," the punk girl introduced herself after a moment, "and this in the buggy, that's Ellie. You?"

"Bella and you've met Beth," she explained, before forcing the words out that she was reluctant but felt duty bound to say now that they punk girl had joined the ever growing legion of princesses.

"Do you want to sit with us?"

Alice smiled and nodded, rising from her seat to bring herself and her buggy over to where Bella and Rose were sat. As they approached, Bella felt extremely awkward as she introduced the two girls.

"Rose, this is Alice and Ellie. Alice, this is Rose and Henry."

Rose and Alice exchanged 'hellos' as Bella's phone chirped again. She contemplated ignoring it for a moment, but realised it was probably her dad and she tried to not ignore him. He was one of the best things in her life, she could never ignore his messages. She muttered a sorry and dipped her hand into her bag to retrieve her phone.

Beth peered over the phone as Bella opened the message. Her daughter liked to watch what Bella did on the phone, she liked to watch things that she didn't understand. She liked to learn and Bella didn't mind, she could read but that didn't mean she understood what she read.

 _I have such a beautiful daughter._

His sarcasm was so dry that Bella had to force back the laughter yet again. Her phone chirped again before she could reply. Beth continued to watch for a moment before flitting off back towards the toys.

 _Please try to make friends._

Bella suddenly felt rather terrible. She had been messing around with him when genuinely he seemed concerned for her and her inability to make friends with people of the same sex. An idea struck her when the conversation picked up around her.

"So what made you come here today?"

Alice tore her eyes from the inside of her pushchair for a moment to reply, "I just wanted to meet people, make some new friends. All my old ones want nothing to do with me anymore. Well, it's not just Ellie's fault, my new look doesn't go down well with them either."

There was a private joke in there somewhere, Bella could tell from the tone of her voice.

"What about you guys?" she asked.

"Same really," Rose replied, "For reasons I won't go into now, I basically moved here from Rochester in New York and I don't really know anyone. My foster mom told me about this group. Seemed like a good idea to start with. Bella?"

"Oh, similar I guess," she said looking as awkward as she felt, "kind of wanted to help people where I could too, you know. It's really scary being a young mom and now that Beth's in kindergarten, I thought I might be able to offer advice or some shit like that. God knows why I thought that, I'm really not a people person."

"Oh and my dad," she indicated her phone, "wants me to make friends who aren't related to me or under drinking age."

She laughed at her own words only to stop when she realised her mistake, "Oh shit, sorry."

To her surprise, Alice laughed lightly on her left and Rose chuckled again.

"I guess we can't really help you there," Alice told her, still smiling, "You're over twenty-one? You don't look it."

Bella surprised herself by feeling relieved at their light-hearted response, she hadn't meant to offend them and was glad that she hadn't.

"Yeah, I was twenty-one last September. How old are you guys?"

"Nineteen," Alice replied.

"Make me feel young, why don't you?" Rose spoke then, looking a little awkward, "I'm only just seventeen."

Bella laughed lightly, before replying.

"How old we are doesn't really matter. I think my dad would just be chuffed that I spoke to someone who isn't male!"

Both girls shot her looks of curiosity, and Bella realised another mistake.

"Oh god, not like that. Just I only have one friend and he's a boy."

Alice remained curious, "You're only friends with her dad now then?"

Rose flinched, remembering the awkwardness from earlier.

"Her dads not around," Bella explained, feeling hurt once again by having to remind herself of that fact. Even after all this time, she was still so bitter about it all. They had only been kids and had made naïve promises, but she had clung to those promises through all the shit and somehow the promises had grown into expectations that had never come to pass.

"Damn, I'm sorry," Alice apologised, "You won't be only one with that situation here though. I should've thought twice about it really."

"Honestly," Bella replied, "it's been so long and we were just kids after all. I mean, he was younger than me for Christ sake. It's not like I expected us to get married or anything, people really shouldn't get married just because of a baby."

Alice went silent then and Bella looked over at her, only to notice that once again she'd put her foot in it. On Alice's ring finger was a thin band of silver.

"Don't," she told Bella swiftly, "Our parents made us. I love Jasper, but I didn't want to get married because I had too either. I think exactly the same as you. We just weren't given the choice."

"I'm pretty sure my dad would've tried that had the option been there," Bella admitted, "Beth's dad and I got separated. We were in the foster system for a time together. We used to call it limbo, because we were stuck there just waiting for the next step. We were both waiting for the social services to track down a next of kin. We got together for a little while until they found his family, he went to live with them and my dad came to get me the week after. I didn't find out about Beth till I was already living with him."

"Woah," Alice replied, "Does he know?"

Bella shook her head, "Not for lack of trying I might add, he's been impossible to find. Dad reckons he's changed his name or something."

"At least you tried though," Rose spoke then.

Bella smiled slightly, "I'll never stop trying to find him. He has a right to know."

Silence fell for a moment again and Bella looked down at her phone in awkwardness. She didn't really understand why she had opened up to these two girls but she was glad that she had in a way. She really did want to make friends with people who were like her. It was the reminder of making friends that made her decide to suggest it.

"Could you do me a favour?" she asked them both, "My dad doesn't believe that I'm capable of making anything remotely like a friend."

She gestured her phone camera and Alice nodded after a moment.

"Sure," Rose stated, leaning towards Bella's right shoulder as Alice leant towards the left. Bella sent the photo to her dad hoping it would be enough to convince that she was making friends. She smiled at the thought of female friends and tried not to laugh out loud as her dad reply came through.

 _How much did you pay them?_

She didn't know how to reply and settled on; _'not nearly enough. I scowled at them and they ran away.'_

"So," Rose spoke again then, drawing Bella's attention from her phone, "You said you were in foster care?"

Bella was surprised for a moment before she nodded and explained, "Yeah, my mom got arrested," she began, leaving out all the reasons why, she didn't know them _that_ well yet, "and I got put in the system till they could tack down the 'Charlie Swan' on my birth certificate. He didn't even know about me so they had to do DNA tests and all kinds of legal shit before I could go."

"Oh, did you not go back to live with your mom?"

Bella tried not to let her distaste show at the mere suggestion. Her mother was rotting in a jail cell where she belonged and even if she wasn't, Bella had no intention of going anywhere near her ever again. After all that woman had put her through, she liked to pretend that she didn't exist. Beth certainly had no idea about her other grandma and she never would. Her dad's wife, Sue, was the only grandma Beth needed to know about.

"Hell no," Bella told her, "She's still inside."

Rose's eyes widened, "Geez, what did she do?"

 _Eight counts of unlawful neglect towards a minor…_ the judge's words echoed through her mind … _endangering a minor, causing unnecessary suffering and abuse of a minor. Solicitation and coercing a minor to engage in sexual activity to the same ends._

There was no answer that Bella could come up with that was remotely true, it was a part of her life she would rather not discuss ever. Her father knew and Beth's father knew, but it was only them and the courts. No one else needed to know about the past.

"She sold drugs and got caught speeding with a shit tonne in her car boot," Bella lied easily, she was used to lying about that.

"Woah, I'm sorry," Rose apologised genuinely, "I really shouldn't have asked. It's just, I moved to foster placement a few months before Henry was born and I was just curious after you said that you were too."

"Nah, its fine," Bella assured, "honestly, we're good."

She smiled to reassure the concerned looking teenager, just as Beth came hurtling over to them all.

"I'm hungry," she announced, "Can we go now?"

The girls laughed at the forwardness of the six year old.

"Soon, sweetie," Bella told her before reaching into her bag and handing her daughter a cereal bar. She had hoped that Beth would make it through the morning without needing it, but actually Bella was just impressed that Beth had lasted this long without moaning about her stomach, especially after her comments in the car. The little girl climbed up onto her mother's lap, whacking her in the jaw as she did so.

"So," Alice began, bring about the conversation again, "what are you guys up to after the group?"

"Nothing much," Rose replied, "We can hang out if you want? I'll just have to let my foster dad know if I need a later lift home."

Bella smiled, despite her prediction it would appear that she had indeed made friends or at least potential friends, and they weren't running away. They actually wanted to spend _more_ time with her.

Before Bella could speak up, Beth replied for her.

"Can we go get ice-cream?"

Alice and Rose laughed lightly at the child's comment.

"I don't see why not," Bella told her, "What do you say, Snow, Cinders, you up for ice-cream?"

"Hell yes," Alice stated, "As long as it's chocolate."

"Erugh no," Rose argued, "Strawberry all the way."

Bella didn't get involved in their argument over ice-cream flavours and instead moved to text her dad.

 _Going to be home later than planned, I think I actually made friends._

A few seconds later his reply came through, _glad to hear it, but remember stranger danger. Don't let them steal your kidney._

Laughter vibrated through her and she smiled. Maybe coming here today hadn't been such a bad idea after all. She hoped then that her dad would agree with her assuming she returned later with both her kidneys.


	2. Two

So glad that the response to the first chapter has been so positive. Thank you all so much for your comments. I finished this chapter not long after posting due to all your encouragement. I have a vague plan of action, the next two chapters will follow Rose and then the following two will follow Alice, and then back to Bella. That is the pattern that I am hoping to stick too with this. At the moment, this is very much a work in progress so just bare with me. Thank you so much for your support so far, hope this chapter meets your approval :)

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Two

Bella stood by the counter at the ice cream parlour as her child pressed her face against the glass screen, staring down in wonder at the multitude of favours.

"Come on, Beth," she hurried, "just pick one."

"I want two," she complained.

Bella sighed. Her daughter was taking her time because she knew that eventually the odds of her mother would increase and she'd get the two flavours she wanted. Usually, Bella would have done this, but she didn't get her wages till Monday so she genuinely couldn't afford two flavours plus the milkshake Beth had already begged for. Bella crouched down next to her daughter.

"I'm going to explain this one more time," she said keeping her tone as calm as possible, "you can have a milkshake and one flavour of ice-cream or no milkshake and two flavours of ice-cream. Mummy can't afford both."

Beth began to pull a face and Bella knew that she about to throw a tantrum. She got up and knowing that no matter what she did now, her child was going to create a scene. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the next few moments.

"Can I have a vanilla milkshake and a scoop of chocolate ice-cream in a tub please?"

Thankfully, the cashier was quick to move and handed over the order just as Beth began to wail. People looked in her direction and Bella was sure that they all thought she was a terrible mother. She failed to give a shit in that moment, it was hard enough dealing with a temperamental child without the world judging you for not spoiling said child.

"Beth," Bella called to her child, holding the tub of ice cream in one hand and the milkshake in the other, "I'm going to go sit down now. If you want your ice-cream you need to come now."

It didn't take much strength to walk away, she used to think mothers were harsh leaving their crying children in the aisles in supermarkets, but honestly, it worked. As soon as Bella was just out of sight, Beth panicked and ran off after her mother. Bella placed the items onto the table in the booth were Alice and Rose were sitting waiting for them. Ellie was awake now, at around nine months old, she was rather animated at the sight of ice-cream. Sat on Alice's lap, she kept swiping for the tub and sticking her chubby fists into it.

Bella helped Beth up into the booth and passed her ice-cream over to her, keeping hold of the spoon until her daughter met her gaze.

In a small voice, she spoke up, still sniffing back tears, "thank you."

"You're welcome," Bella replied, smiling softly. She could never be angry at her daughter for her actions, all children did these things but she was determined never to let Beth win. She had to learn.

Beth was silent as she picked at the ice cream. Bella finally looked up then and saw Rose and Alice watching in amazement.

"What?" she questioned at their odd looks.

Alice explained, "You seriously make it look easy. I wouldn't have the first clue how to deal with a tantrum."

Bella chuckled, they would both find out how to deal with tantrums through many practice rounds. The terrible twos weren't too far away, for Alice especially.

"You'll learn soon enough," she commented, "Honestly, just don't let her win and don't give in. You give in once and you're screwed for life."

Alice looked a little terrified until Bella said, "I'm kidding. You can give in sometimes especially if you run out of coffee."

Alice smiled knowingly, while Rose laughed and took a bite of her ice cream. Bella looked over at Beth then and saw that her mood was gradually improving again. She was grateful for that at least, she could do without having to drag a sulky six year old up the street to the car. She had no wish to recreate scenes from Inside Out, herself as Happiness and her daughter as Sadness. She tried not to laugh out loud at the mental image, her amusement must have shown on her face however.

Rose raised her eyebrows in question to the look on her face, to which Bella stated simply.

"I amuse myself."

Rose seemed amused by the statement before she noticed something.

"You didn't get yourself anything, Bella?"

Bella shook her head, "nah, it's not payday till Monday."

"Oh, fair enough," Rose replied, "Where abouts do you work?"

"Erm just a bar in town," Bella told her.

Despite Bella's simple answer, Rose continued with the questions, "Have you worked their long?"

Bella shook her head, "Not long, I worked in a restaurant before that but, I'm old enough to serve alcohol now and the bar pays better."

"Do you enjoy it?" Rose asked then, and Bella tried not to snort with the laughter at the suggestion.

"It's okay, I guess," She replied, "I'd rather do something that required some level of skill but with only a degree in English Literature, I'm not inundated with employment possibilities."

Rose looked surprised at that statement, "You went to college?"

"Yeah, the one bonus to having a kid at fifteen, by the time I was ready for college she was nearly three."

"I'd love to go to college," Rose stated looking wistful at the thought.

Bella felt a pang of sympathy for the younger woman, "It's not impossible, you'd just have to start later than most."

Rose smiled as Alice spoke then, she had been attempting to wrestle the ice cream away from her overly curious daughter but had given up when she caught the end of their conversation.

"That's awesome that you finished school! I wish I'd stuck at college," she explained, "I started then got a bit of a surprise not long after though."

"Wow, bet that was unexpected," Rose replied.

"Not as much as you'd think," Alice clarified, "When you spend a whole weekend together, drunk or high half the time, it's no surprise really. I should let you both know, we learnt our lesson with all that."

"I bet you did," Bella commented, trying not to laugh.

"Oh let me guess, you're a 'the condom broke' kinda person?" Alice smirked, holding back her own laughter.

Bella shook her head, "No, I was a 'too naïve to understand where babies come from' kinda person."

Both Alice and Rose looked shocked at her statement, before Alice replied, "didn't anyone ever tell you?"

Bella shrugged and was thankful, when just a second later, Ellie pounded her fist into the now half melted tub of ice cream. The nine month old created a fantastic diversion by showering herself and her mother in chocolate liquid. Alice looked shocked for a moment, before it registered and she grimaced. Beth made the first noise she'd made since her small 'thank you' earlier by letting out a giggle at what she'd just witnessed.

"Lovely," Alice spoke to herself.

"Give her here," Rose offered, since her son was still settled in his pram, "Go wash up."

Alice past over her daughter and hurried to the bathroom. Bella, grateful for the change in topic, moved to access Alice's changing bag and dug out wipes and a spare outfit for Ellie. Together, her and Rose had the little girl looking almost completely ice-cream free when her mother returned. Alice had a few damp spots on her top where she had wiped off the worst of the marks. She smiled broadly when she returned to her clean child.

"You didn't have to do that," she told them but her gratitude was shining from her.

She sat herself back down and took Ellie back onto her lap.

"So you saying about college?" Bella said then, bringing the conversation back onto a safer ground, "What were you studying, you know, before Ellie?"

Alice shrugged, "I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, I had a few classes in different subjects but wasn't really there long enough to make a choice. What about you?"

"Oh I did English Lit," Bella replied.

"That's an impressive amount of reading," Alice commented in reply.

"Reading has never bothered me," She told her, "When you go to college, Rose, what do you think you'd study?"

"Probably midwifery," she explained, finishing off her ice-cream, "I wanted to be a midwife before Henry came along, I guess I just now have first-hand experience."

"Wow," was Alice's reply, "Doesn't that take years?"

"Yeah I think about five but, I'm not really sure."

Beth made her presence known then. She had finished her milkshake and her ice-cream and it was clear that she was now bored.

"Mummy, can we go now?"

Bella turned to her daughter and propositioned, "Not yet, do you want to do some colouring?"

Beth seemed appeased by the entertainment offered to her as Bella fished the colouring book and crayons from her bag. She noticed a little light flashing on her phone as she did so and once Beth was settled, she reached for it to check the notification. One missed call from her dad, she frowned.

She made her excuses to the other girls and quickly returned the call.

"Hey dad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, just Sue hit me repeatedly until I called you. What do you want for dinner?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "Really? That's it?"

"Yes, I know," her father replied.

"I think something edible for dinner would be perfect."

Her father chuckled, "So anything but Sue's cooking?"

Before she could reply, her father's pained noise alerted to the fact that her step-mom had been in ear shot of his comment. Stupid man.

"Enjoy your beating," Bella told him, "We'll be home soon, see you later if you're still alive." With that she hung up and left her father to the mercy of her step-mom. She wouldn't really hurt him, just probably delete a few of his recordings off the sky box later, most likely the latest baseball match. Sue knew where to hit her dad where it hurt.

"You're dad again?" Rose asked once Bella had placed the phone down on the table. She smiled at Rose and nodded.

"We're going to have to take off soon," she told the other girls.

"Me too, I think," Alice replied, "I'm pretty sure that there is congealed ice cream in my cleavage."

"Beautiful image there, thank you."

Alice laughed at Bella's reply, "You're welcome."

It was around 10 minutes later that they began to disband. Beth had packed away her colouring things and was eager to leave. Bella could see the hint of tiredness hanging in her gaze and hoped that maybe she'd fall asleep on the way home. Beth didn't normally nap anymore but today had been out of the ordinary and she was sure that meeting new people had taken it out of her daughter as much as it had herself.

"Hang on," Alice said once they had stepped out onto the street, "Should we exchange numbers? It would be great to keep in touch."

"Why? Are you not going back to group?" Rose asked at the question, looking a little concerned.

Alice assured her that she would be there, "Just thought it would be nice."

"You can have mine, I don't mind," Bella told her and took Alice's phone when it was offered to add herself as a contact. She felt a little odd sharing her phone number, only two people ever contacted her, it would definitely be strange if someone other than her dad and her one friend text messaged her.

They parted ways once they had shared contact information and Bella had a funny feeling in her chest as she loaded her daughter into the car and prepared to drive away. Had she honestly made friends? Or potential friends? She had never really had any friends, not since her time in foster care when she'd met Beth's father. He had been the only real friend she had ever had but then they'd also been more than friends. He lingered in her thoughts as she drove home.

She remembered him so well, his smile, his laughter and his intellect. She was in awe of him within days of meeting him. She had never met a boy like him and she never would again. He had been it for her, she was convinced of it and the hurt that she carried with her everyday would always be with her. Even though it was obvious, she just couldn't understand why he had lied to her. The day they had parted he had given her his grandma's ring on a chain and told her he'd come back for her one day. She should have known then that he couldn't possibly mean all the things he said and yet, even now, she still wore that ring on the chain around her neck.

She pushed the thoughts of him away from her mind a few minutes later as she pulled up outside their family home. Beth was dozing in her car seat and Bella tried not to wake her. She failed, the six year old was just too big to move delicately anymore.

"Is it dinner time?" Beth asked as they approached the front steps.

Bella turned to her daughter in amazement, "you just had ice-cream and a milkshake."

Beth looked at her with an expression that clearly said 'So?' It was amazing how grown up she looked in that moment. She would be a teenager before Bella could blink, she shuddered at the thought.

The door opened as they reached it, her father greeted them. He had a poorly wrapped bandage around his head and was trying not to laugh. Bella had many questions but chose not to humour him in this instance.

"So what's for dinner?" she asked, stepping past him into the hallway.

He grabbed Beth up into his arms and began telling her tale of his bravery and survival to prevent the sky box being wiped. Beth was completely taken with his tale of utter nonsense and Bella just laughed to herself and headed to the kitchen to help out where needed.

Her step-brother Seth was sitting at the dining table, along with her half-brother Emmett. The two seventeen year olds were being made to work before dinner. Sue knew how to manage the boys and withholding food definitely worked.

"I'm done, can I eat now?" Seth complained, handing his completed homework over to his mom. Bella watched with amusement at their exchange. Sue scrutinised the piece of work and raised her eyebrows. He hadn't done well enough, the look said it all.

"You may have dinner," She conceded but Bella knew that the 'but' was coming, as did her brother, "but if you want dessert, you need to go back and check questions 3, 8 and 10."

He cursed under his breath until he spotted Bella in the doorway.

"Assistance?" He asked then.

She headed over and took the paper from his hand. At seeing the page covered in mathematical problems, she shook her head.

"Sorry, you're on your own," Bella told him. Math was not her strong point.

Sue spoke up then, "Boys, put the books away, dinners ready. You can earn dessert after."

"Hang on," Emmett called, concentrating hard on his homework. Math was not Bella's strong point but it was her brothers. He might have been a jock at school, playing football regularly but it was not his only attribute. He never let anyone know just how clever he was and kept his grades quiet at school.

He speed through the last question and gathered up his books. Seth took his and the two of them disappeared off to their rooms for a few moments. Bella helped to set the table and serve up the food.

Emmett reappeared with Beth clinging to his shoulders.

"I found a gremlin," he stated.

Sue frowned at her step-son, "don't call her that."

"But she is a gremlin," he argued, "I've tried feeding her after midnight, it didn't go well."

Bella rolled her eyes, "It doesn't tend too, especially if you feed her tones of out-of-date Halloween candy."

"In my defence," Emmett began, "How was I supposed to know that candy was out of date? The Carter's at number 12 are sneaky bast-"

He cut his swear word off there at one look from Sue.

Bella shook her head, remembering his mistake all too vividly. She tried not to relive it, it wasn't a pleasant memory, but ever since then, her half-brother had taken to calling Beth 'Gremlin'. It wasn't the worst nickname, and she didn't understand the reference. Not yet anyway.

Her father entered the kitchen then, now bandage-less. He reached up as he passed to remove Beth from Emmett's shoulders. A feat that was easy for him, given their very similar height. It would have been near impossible for her or Sue to do such a thing. Her father plonked Beth down into her seat at the table. Bella took her seat beside her daughter and gradually they all sat down for dinner.

"So still got all your organs?" her dad asked once they'd started eating.

"Charlie!" Sue exclaimed, appalled by his idea of acceptable dinner conversation.

"Well, you can't be too careful," he explained, winking at Bella.

"I don't know," Bella began, helping Beth cut up her food, "I don't remember much, and my backs a little sore, maybe they did get away with something."

Her dad tsked and shook his head, "I tried to warn you. Hopefully it was nothing vital."

Sue sighed at their banter but didn't stop them, instead she turned the conversation onto a better topic.

"So you had a fun day?"

Bella was surprised when her first thought was 'yes,' she had had a rather brilliant day.

"Yeah, actually."

Both Sue and her dad looked pleased by that response and the conversation flowed from there. They discussed the school day and if anything new had happened. They talked about how their days had been and Sue gave in and allowed the boys dessert despite their so-so homework. It was a pleasant evening, and it was a pretty normal evening in the Swan household.

Growing up, having this kind of experience had been nothing more than a fantasy. She thought as she sat their how much her life had changed in six years. Just one moment of bravery had brought her here. Just one moment had changed her life beyond recognition. A simple decision had sent her life down a different, so much better path. This was her life, all because of one phone call…

Six years ago...

 _Sat behind a large wooden desk, the receptionist for the local police station was busy typing up the latest reports she had been given when the phone rang._

" _Hello, state police department, Joanne speaking," she greeted the caller, still typing until the little broken voice on the end of the phone tore her away from her work._

" _Can you help me?"_

 _The sound of a voice choked with tears and clearly distressed was enough for the receptionist to silently motion for her colleague to join her._

" _I will do my very best to help you," she assured, "Can you tell me if you're in danger?"_

 _At the girls reply, she began tracking the call._

" _She'll be back soon."_

" _Who will?" She questioned the caller._

" _My mom."_

" _Is that who you're scared off?" She tried to get clarification._

" _She'll bring men back with her again," the girl cried, "I don't want to do it anymore."_

 _The girl on the phone was beginning to get increasingly destressed and the receptionist used her training well._

" _It's OK, I will do everything I can to make you safe. My name is Joanne, can you tell me your name?"_

" _Bella," the timid voice replied._

" _Ok, Bella, I'm going to send officers to your house now. They will be there soon, can you stay on the phone with me until they arrive?"_

" _I think so," the little voice replied. It broke Joanne's heart to hear just how broken this girl sounded._

 _Joanne thought over the questions she had to ask, "Bella, can you tell me how old you are please?"_

" _Fourteen," she replied, "But I'll be fifteen soon."_

 _From then, the receptionist continued to engage the scared teenager in conversation until she heard her colleagues arrive. It was then that she handed her over into their care and ended the call. She had done all she could, but she had a feeling that she would never quite forget that voice and the fear it contained. An hour went by before her colleagues and the back-up they had called for arrived back at the station. They brought with them an older women, two men and the owner of the voice that she would stay with her forever, even more so once she learned later what this petite young woman was so afraid of._


	3. Three

Hi all, this chapter has driven me nuts for a couple of days but I'm finally happy enough to share it with you all. Thank you for all your support so far for this story, means a great deal and I really hope you like the next instalment. It is Rose turn to talk for a bit and hate to tell you this, but shes had things nearly as bad as Bella. They will all be happy in the end I promise :) Thank you for reading and returning once again, Abbie

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Three

 _Rose_

She was mulling over everything that had happened at the group and the lovely people that she had met today when her foster father pulled up around the corner from the ice-cream parlour. It hadn't been long since she'd called and she was a little surprised that he had arrived that quickly but she was soon distracted from this train of thought as her body automatically tensed up. She hated herself for it but it was an involuntary reaction. It annoyed her greatly that she was still nervous around him, despite all his attempts to help her. Thankfully, he was an understanding man and never allowed her hesitation or fear to prevent his attempt to build a good relationship with her. She was more than grateful for this and hoped one day she would have the strength to let him in. With a well-practised manoeuvre, he parked the car and hopped out of the driver's side to help her with Henry. He smiled brightly when he greeted her as she stood by the store front, clutching the handle of the pram just a little too tightly.

"Hi Rose," he greeted, "Did you have a good day?"

She nodded and responded simply but politely, "Yes, thank you."

His expression dropped a little and she could tell he was disappointed that he was still receiving only polite replies. She really didn't want to let her past affect her future but it was difficult to let go of a trauma so deeply embedded within her. She began disassembling Henry's car seat from the prams frame and handed it over to her foster father. As he clipped her son into the back seat, she folded down the frame and stowed it away in the trunk.

A few moments later, she climbed into the front seat and he retook his seat beside her. Without thinking, she instinctively moved an inch or two closer to the door. She internally cursed her actions, he had been nothing but kind to her, she reminded herself, she didn't need to act this way around him, he wasn't her step-father. In spite of her move away from him, he showed yet further understanding and ignored the movement and instead asked.

"So did you met anyone interesting?"

Rose smiled then at the thought, "Yes actually, I met two other girls; Alice and Bella. They both have daughters."

He seemed geuniely please when he replied, "That's wonderful news, I bet it was good to talk to other girls."

"It was," she said simply. In all honesty, it had been wonderful to spend time with other girls that were like her, especially given Bella's mention of a history in foster care. She was intrigued to know more about it but she would never ask.

"Well, Esme, will be thrilled to hear all about it, I'm sure."

Rose found herself smiling at his reply and the thought of Esme. She was such a lovely women and had been an amazing help through a very difficult time. The best thing about Esme, however, was that she was delightfully crazy. _Well_ , she reasoned with herself, _not crazy, maybe free spirited or eccentric._ She could picture her now, preparing something for dinner and prancing around the kitchen to some new track that took her fancy. She changed her mind frequently about which genre of music she preferred.

Her attention was drawn back to her foster father for the remained of the journey as he chatted away to her, trying to put her at ease. She responded as best as she could but never relaxed fully until they were pulling up onto the driveway. By then, she was glad to be back. She wasn't as afraid of him when Esme was around them both. Having another woman present made her feel safe somehow.

However, something strange occurred when they entered the house. It was the usual time where Esme would prepare dinner but there was no music playing but yet the smell of food cooking was heavy in the air.

"Esme?" he called out to his wife as they stood in the hallway, looking slightly confused. Esme very rarely differed her routine.

She appeared around the doorway a few seconds after he called out to her. Her caramel hair was scraped up into messy pigtails and her smile was nothing short of radiant.

"Oh, Carlisle!" she cried, running over to him, "Guess who's come to see us?"

Her foster father frowned at the guessing game.

"Who?" he questioned.

Esme scoffed, "You're supposed to guess."

Carlisle laughed lightly, "Ok, well, I suppose the only person who would make you happy if they dropped by unannounced is Edward."

Esme beamed at her husband and nodded. She looked ecstatic.

At their conversation, Rose understood who was here. It made her suddenly nervous to meet the nephew that Esme had gushingly told her about not long after she had been placed here. Esme had told her the story of their nephew, Edward, and his time in foster care as the explanation for why she took in other foster placements now. The system had helped him find his family when his parents had died suddenly, and so, Esme had wanted to give something back and found that actually, she loved being a foster mother to so many in need. As she remembered their conversation about Edward, she found herself more than a little apprehensive to meet the man that she had heard so much about already.

"But he said he wasn't coming for a fortnight," Carlisle replied to Esme's expression of confirmation.

"I did say that," an unfamiliar voice spoke then, the figure of a nearly six foot man following the voice and appearing in the doorway, Rose shrank back just a little, "but a friend of mine was travelling back this way and offered a lift so I thought why not? Saves paying for a flight."

"You still haven't told me about this 'friend'?" Esme pried, "I'll have to thank her for bringing you home early."

"Him," Edward corrected gently, "Yes you can thank him if you want, he'll be back in a fortnight so we can drive back again."

Esme smiled up at him but since her expressions were usually so vivid, it was obvious that there was a hint of disappointment behind her smile. Her disappointment was wiped from her face as quickly as it had appeared when she spotted Rose.

"Hi darling," she greeted, "how did it go today?"

Sensing the beginning of a conversation, Carlisle motioned for Edward to head into the kitchen as she replied.

"It went really well actually," Rose replied.

Esme was intrigued, "did you make any friends?"

Rose nodded, "Yeah I think so."

"You'll have to tell me all about it," She gushed before she spotted Henry in the car seat hanging from her arm.

"But first, let's get this little man ready for the evening," Esme instructed gently, "It's nearly six o'clock."

Rose nodded and went upstairs with her foster mom. Esme truly was brilliant, at first she had been really hands on with Henry, showing Rose what to do and how to care for him but now she mostly just stayed with her while she built her confidence up. It was a scary thing, being in charge of a little life when she didn't feel old enough to care for herself at times.

It didn't take long to prepare Henry for bed, Esme fed him while Rose ran a warm bath. After this, all it took was a fresh diaper and a clean sleepsuit for him to start drifting off as she laid him in the basket. It made her chest ache a little to walk away from her sleeping child but she knew that the monitor was on and they would hear even the slightest noise he made. Still he was only a couple of months old and she found leaving him painful.

"Come on, love," Esme encouraged, "Tell me all about your day."

Rose obliged and shared the story of her two new potential friends as they headed from the room and towards the kitchen. She told her about Alice and Ellie and Bella and Beth but the topic had been exhausted by the time they reached the kitchen. Carlisle and Edward were plating up dinner as they entered. Rose felt her nerves creeping up over her as he turned and looked at her. The nephew was pretty good looking, tall with a strong jaw but she wasn't able to look at him in that way. The only way she viewed men was as a potential threat to her. She had been this way for a while and even though he smiled kindly at her, she dipped her gaze and tried to make herself small. Unfortunately, she was aware that she was beautiful, it was her beauty that made her a target for abuse. She hated herself for her looks and usually tried to hide her face when men appraised her.

"Hey," he spoke gently, seeming concerned, "You alright?"

She kept her gaze on the floor as her heart rate increased. He glanced over at Esme unbeknown to her and Esme thankfully spoke up for her.

"It's okay, she's just a bit shy, Edward," Esme explained, "Come on, Rose, you can sit by me."

She looked up then and gladly took a seat beside Esme at the dining table. She felt safer around women, women couldn't hurt her like men could. She sat quietly throughout dinner and just listened to her foster family discussing what they had all been up too since Edward had returned to college after the holidays in September. Due to Rose and Henry arriving into their lives, Edward had spent the Christmas holidays with his grandparents. His reasoning was that he probably didn't have many more left with them but, Rose had a suspicion that he'd stayed away because of her.

Once she had eaten, she excused herself and allowed them space to spend the evening together, she didn't feel it was right for her to stay when they had so much to catch up on. At least, that was the excuse that she told herself as she did so. She headed upstairs and settled herself on her bed for the evening. Even though, she was being home schooled for the moment, she still tried her best to keep up-to-date with her studies and since Henry was busy sleeping she loaded up her laptop and got on with the work for next week.

It was around an hour later that she had done all she could with work and had contented herself with reading a book, when a tap at the door put her on high alert. She climbed up off her bed slowly and walked over to the door. It was probably Esme but she was cautious all the same. She didn't like letting people into her bedroom. She pulled open the door, her hesitance obvious.

"Hey," a male voice spoke as she did so, "Didn't mean to disturb you, but Esme suggested playing a game and she wanted to know if you would like to join us?"

Her body language must have portrayed how much this situation was difficult for her because he mistook her fear of him being near her bedroom to mean she didn't want to join then, and quickly added, "You don't have too but, the offers there."

His voice was gentle and she fought with herself for a few moments but she still couldn't look at him. She didn't need time to think it over, she knew her answer and her response was automatic.

"Maybe another time," she replied timidly. Her fear holding her back as always.

Edward just nodded, displaying the same understanding and kindness as his uncle always did, "no worries, we'll be downstairs if you change your mind."

Once he had disappeared down the corridor, she slowly closed the door and as she did so, she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. Her anxiety, fuelled by fear, brought up thoughts of him as she closed the door. She shook them off as much as she could and just felt angry with herself. It wouldn't have been so bad to join them, she knew that but she just couldn't let go. It infuriated her, he wasn't here anymore, and she was safe so why couldn't she just let it go?

She reasoned with herself then, she had spent so long being hurt and mistreated, it would take a long time to change her mind set. She knew this but it didn't stop her from slowing descending into sobs. She only just managed to control the volume of her sobs to prevent Henry from stirring. Whenever she gave in to the tears, she would remember him and relive things all over again. At first, he had seemed like a nice normal man but Royce King was anything but.

She couldn't deny that he had been a relatively handsome man and she had understood why her mother was infatuated with him. He had seemed nice enough to her then. But what they didn't know was that her step-father had been a monster just waiting for darkness to fall. The most surprising thing of all to Rose though, was that her mother's strong infatuation outweighed her love for her child. To this day, she refused to believe that her daughter had been telling the truth about her husband. It didn't matter that Henry's DNA had proven that Royce had fathered him, she wouldn't accept it. It didn't matter to Rose though, her mother had let her down long ago in an irredeemable way long ago…

Two years ago…

" _Rose, honey," her mother called through her bedroom door. She lay awake in her bed, hiding beneath her covers as if the thick fabric could shield her for all that had transpired last night._

" _It's time to get up."_

 _In that moment, she didn't think she was capable of movement and laid still. Her body was in a state of shock and she didn't know how to regain control over her limbs. She stayed silent and hoped her mom would leave her alone for a little longer. In that moment, she knew she should say something, but she felt frozen. Suspended in the trauma that she had suffered only hours before._

" _Are you awake?"_

 _Rose began to panic then. If she didn't say something then her mother would likely come in to wake her but, her brain refused to cooperate. The door opened slowly and her whole body tensed._

" _Sweetie," her mother cooed down at the bundle of covers, "it's time to get up. You'll miss the bus."_

 _Gripping the covers to her body like a lifeline she felt her mother tug at them. Slowly, her grip began to slacken and her mom was peering down at her huddled form._

" _Rosie, what's wrong?"_

 _The concern in her mother's voice was enough to let her break free for just a moment. She looked up, and flinching slightly, she forced herself upright. It was then that she felt the tears stream down her face._

" _Oh sweetie," She gushed, "Are you not feeling well? You don't have to go to school today, it's okay. I'll get the doctor out if you need it."_

 _Rose shook her head and tried to get the words out. She knew as she stared up at her mothers kind face that it was now or never. She needed to tell her mother while they were alone, she needed to be brave. The words 'he hurt me' were on the tip of her tongue when her mother called out._

" _Royce!"_

 _Rose tensed up at the mention of his name. In that moment all Rose felt was betrayal but her mother couldn't have known. Before she could attempt to speak, he appeared in her room. Her blood ran cold and her mouth clamped shut._

" _You called?" his demeanour was bright and friendly._

 _She felt sick right down into the pit of stomach. This man had abused her and he stood in her room, smiling, as if nothing untoward had happened the previous night. The feel of his hand clamped over her mouth was etched onto her brain. His fingers reaching down towards underwear and how it made her heart stop with a crippling fear. Until last night, she had always believed that you couldn't have been 'raped' if you didn't fit back. That was what she had been made to believe anyway but it was complete nonsense. She knew that now._

"I don't want to hurt you, Rosie."

 _His words echoed through her mind. His voice hadn't sounded friendly then, it had been sadistic as if that was exactly what he wanted to do. She had gone almost completely paralyzed with fear and with her own reaction, she understood why women didn't always fight back. Fear did things to people that she had never understood before. If only she was still as naïve as she had been yesterday._

 _She couldn't understand it, her mind was in tatters. Her home was supposed to be the safest place for her to be. She had always believed that and it had been for a long time. Last night, however, had proved just no unsafe her home was. She had gone to bed last night a happy, healthy teenager and had begun today as a mere shadow of that person._

" _Royce, can you call the doctor? Rosie, really doesn't look well."_

 _Her mother's words broke through and panic set in. She felt his gaze on her then as her mother assessed her condition._

" _Oh sweetie, you're shaking."_

 _Her mother's comments drew her from her thoughts and in fear she pushed her mom's arm away from her._

" _I'm fine," she told them, firmly, "I don't need a doctor."_

 _It was then that he spoke up, making her recoil from her mother's touch further._

" _I think she's alright," he commented, "She looks well enough to me."_

 _Any words that she could think to say, hung at the back of her throat. She couldn't speak, not when he had just spoken. Her mom frowned down at her, still concerned._

" _Well," she conceded, "If you feel at all unwell at school, just call and one of us will come and get you."_

 _Her mom gave her a long look once more, before admitting defeat and leaving the room. Her step-father lingered for a moment longer. His stare burnt holes into her and she felt very much like she may throw up at any moment. He said nothing and left a few seconds later, leaving her with a fear burnt into her soul. Once he was gone and her door was closed behind him, she finally broke down in sobs…_

Present day…

She wiped her eyes just as Henry began to stir and pulled herself up off her bed. For her son, she would be brave. She would always be brave for him. She would be the mother that he needed her to be even if it took a lifetime to achieve. His cries began just as she reached his basket.

"Hey," she cooed, "its okay, mommy's here."

She scooped him up into her arms and held him against her chest. He began to settle and so did she. With his small weight against her, she felt so much stronger. From the moment that she had known about his existence, Henry had given her a reason to keep going when she had felt so alone and afraid. He may have been conceived out of rape and abuse but he would certainly never know it through lack of love for him. He may one day know more than she would like but all that mattered to her was that he always knew that his mom loved him with all her being, regardless of how he was made.

A strength she didn't know she possessed began to form inside her as she held him. With her thoughts still burned from memories of her step-father, she found this sense of strength oddly comforting. It was unexpected but she was grateful for it.

She came to her decision then, a decision that was truly surprising. She got Henry changed and fighting herself with every step, she headed downstairs. The sounds of their laughter greeted her and she clung to Henry like a lifeline as she approached. Esme saw her first and her face lit up in delight. Rose returned her smile but her anxiety was still there, clinging to her like an invisible creature.

As Carlisle and Edward looked up at her entrance, the words she had been contemplating got stuck in her throat and she very nearly left as quickly as she had arrived. Thankfully, Esme noticed her discomfort and saved her from herself.

"Are you coming to join us?" she asked, adding, "You can help me if you like, I am losing badly."

Rose smiled at Esme, grateful beyond words. She nodded, placed Henry in his bouncer across from her and took the seat beside Esme. It was when she was settled beside her foster mom that she began to relax.

"What are you playing?" she questioned then, her tone still a little too quiet.

Esme continued to smile at her, looking just a little proud.

"Trivial Pursuit," Edward answered her question, "Carlisle chose it. Esme is rubbish at it."

"Hey, not anymore," Esme replied, patting Rose's hand gently, "I've got Rosie now. Bring it on."

Rose found herself laughing just lightly at Esme's comment. She really wasn't that smart.

"I think you overestimate me, Esme."

"Of course not," Esme responded, "You're fantastic, Rose. We're a team and we can't lose now."

The words 'we're a team' would stay with her for a long time. She felt the little creature ease its grip on her at hearing Esme's words. It was because of those three words and there effect on her that she was able to let go just a little more than she had expected too that evening.

She hadn't felt a sense of family in such a long time but as the evening passed by she began to feel as though just maybe she had a safe place to belong at last. The evening was filled with laughter and joyous conversation. Even though, she mostly did not join in with this particular aspect of their socialisation, she took comfort from seeing their interaction and from allowing herself to be a part of it. She couldn't help but think as she went to bed that night, that maybe, just maybe, there was hope for her yet.


End file.
